Some of the most well known authors have been the creators of short stories. In only a few pages these authors provide the reader with a look into life's most passionate experiences; love, loss, death, and sacrifice. Throughout time their words have touched hearts and inspired many. Characters are remembered not merely as a fictional person in a story but are brought to life in the reader's mind, soul, and memory. These stories have survived the test of time and boundaries because of their connection to real life and the readers who share it with them.
Samuel Johnson, an 18th century scholar, author, and critic, wrote, "Nothing can please many, and please long, but just representation of general nature." These words describe only a handful of stories out of the million that did not survive through a generation.
One just representation of nature is written in the words of "Misery," a short story authored by Anton Chekhov in 1886. The social issues and personal conflict within this story certainly describes life events that every human being faces. Iona Potapov, the main character, has lost his son to nature's wrath and is consumed with grief. Chekhov invites the reader to share in this lonely feeling with his description of the cabby, "Iona Potapov, the sledge-driver, is all white like a ghost. He sits on the box without stirring, bent as double as the living body can be bent" (271).
Chekhov hits his reader hard with the reality of not being able to express the loneliness one feels after losing a loved one, especially a child. Iona tries more than two times to tell the story of his son, but none of the people take the time to listen to him. It is not that he needs comfort but rather that he needs to escape his loneliness.
Chekhov has a way of connecting with his audience through the most passion filled experiences. In an 1888 interview, Chekhov said, "My business is to be talented, that is, to be capable of selecting the important moments from the trivial ones...It's about time for writers ~ particularly those who are genuine artists ~ to recognize that in this world you cannot figure out everything" (Bright, Online). Chekhov knew that in order to create his own legacy he had to produce works of art that would touch the souls' of future readers.
As people age they will often still recall a good childhood story. A well told, meaningful story can go a long way when attempting to argue a point or convey information. In the essays, ''The Myth of The Latin Women: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria" by Judith Ortiz Cofer, "Gains and Losses" by Richard Rodriquez, and "Piecing It All Together" by bell hooks, the authors connect to the reader and create a better audience through their writing. Through the portrayal of a story the authors help the reader understand their point of view, they transfer information to the reader with better ease, and keep the reader engaged the authors argue a point or convey information more efficiently.
"Unit 2: Reading & Writing About Short Fiction." ENGL200: Composition and Literature. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 49-219. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
The human need to be relatable is unquenchable. We love to be able to see parts of ourselves in others, and to be able to feel like our idols are not untouchable. The Hero’s Journey format is one that can be found in almost any story, even in real life. Overall, it is the perfect recipe for keeping readers engrossed. Another place the journey has shown up is in Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Odyssey by Homer. These two stories—one a biography, the other, an epic poem—are so effective in their storytelling, it is easy to see how authors today continue to use the same method to make stories that grab the readers’ attention. What makes them most alike, however, is the emotions and thoughts they have the power to provoke.
In traditional writing styles, the main element to give the story meaning is the narrative itself. However, with more modern and distinct styles such as the short stories written where the narrative is no longer the primary stylistic device, but the use of metaphors and distinctive different narrators applies meaning to the stories. Though it is easy to judge what is different from tradition as inferior, this change is no different than the rise of cubism in the art world. Even though initially many would comment on the art not being “real,” or in this case, the stories being poorly written, this style has even more of an effect. After
A short story is a work of literature that is shorter than a novel. Although some may believe the length may not be enough to develop a noble story, in these few pages an author can pack a tight punch that will leave one in awe, disgust, or utter sadness. Whether there is a moral of the story or it is simply for the reader’s enjoyment, each author has their own style of conveying a message through their work in very diverse ways. Through Flannery O’Connor and Chuck Palahniuk’s works we can see this very evidently.
“Short Stories." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jelena Krstovic. Vol. 127. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2010. 125-388. Literature Criticism Online. Gale. VALE - Mercer County Community College. 28 February 2014
Stories have the ability to provide new information. Finding meaning within the literary works is not necessarily easily. Authors John Updike, J.E. Wideman, and T.C. Boyle use their stories, “A&P”, “Doc’s Story”, and “Rara Avis”, respectively, to communicate important ideas. These short, but meaningful stories can empower readers to have a greater apprehension of real life situations. After taking an in depth look at these three pieces of literature, each contains themes of detachment, idolization, and handling losses. The situations that the characters are put into give clarity to some of life’s most important lessons.
Short stories are temporary portals to another world; there is a plethora of knowledge to learn from the scenario, and lies on top of that knowledge are simple morals. Langston Hughes writes in “Thank You Ma’m” the timeline of a single night in a slum neighborhood of an anonymous city. This “timeline” tells of the unfolding generosities that begin when a teenage boy fails an attempted robbery of Mrs. Jones. An annoyed bachelor on a British train listens to three children their aunt converse rather obnoxiously in Saki’s tale, “The Storyteller”. After a failed story attempt, the bachelor tries his hand at storytelling and gives a wonderfully satisfying, inappropriate story. These stories are laden with humor, but have, like all other stories, an underlying theme. Both themes of these stories are “implied,” and provide an excellent stage to compare and contrast a story on.
After this story comes a series of much shorter stories written from the perspective of many different characters. Some find love, others meet new friends, run into trouble or reminisce about the past. They all
Written stories differ in numerous ways, but most of them have one thing in common; they all have a narrator that, on either rare occasions or more regularly, help to tell the story. Sometimes, the narrator is a vital part of the story since without him or her, it would not be possible to tell the story in the same way, and sometimes, the narrator has a very small role in the story. However, he or she is always there, and to compare how different authors use, and do not use, this outside perspective writing tool, a comparison between Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno, Henry James’ Daisy Miller, and David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly will be done.
Chekhov reminds the readers that Anna is young compared to Gurov. Chekhov’s novel states, “As he went to bed he reminded himself that only a short time ago she had been a schoolgirl, like his own daughter” (3). The images of Anna being a schoolgirl not too long ago, when Gurov has a daughter of similar age, brings the sense of abnormality between the relationship of Gurov and Anna. It’s hard to imagine such a huge difference in lovers especially in the strict culture of Russia in the late 19th century where these occasions were unthought-of. The uncomforting thought of the difference in age goes back to differ the meanings of love and romance in the novel because against all odds and differences, Anna and Gurov hide away from these obvious facts. The thought of love in this culture is between a man and woman of similar age. According to Chekhov’s novel, “He was sick of his children, sick of the bank, felt not the slightest desire to go anywhere or talk about anything” (9). Chekhov’s description of sickness reveals that Gurov has a huge moment of denial, denial of family and denial of age. This denial of age, helps Gurov cope with the oddities of their relationship, the oddities of the love they had with the characteristics of a romance. Gurov was trying to change the definition of their relationship on his own mental terms. While Gurov was trying to bring out a spontaneous, younger
All stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and movies. They are known collectively as The Hero’s Journey. Understanding these elements and their use in modern writing is the object of our quest. Used wisely, these ancient tools of the storytellers craft still have tremendous power to heal our people and make the world a better place (xxvii).
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
In addition, Chekhov also utilizes allegory, imagery and symbolism. The Geisha, for example, serves as an a...
Each short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” and “The Sniper,” show many different themes throughout. From insanity, to happiness, all the way to selfishness, each story also hides terrible secrets.